Brockton police chief says top priority is saving lives as city deals with drug epidemic

Police Chief Robert Hayden said Monday he is hoping one measure, equipping Brockton police officers with a drug that reverses the symptoms of a heroin overdose, will be a major step in keeping the city's drug addicts from dying.

BROCKTON – With five suspected overdose deaths in the city in the past two weeks, Brockton Police Chief Robert Hayden said saving lives is now the priority for his department.

Hayden said Monday he is hoping one measure, equipping Brockton police officers with a drug that reverses the symptoms of a heroin overdose, will be a major step in keeping the city’s drug addicts from dying.

Authorities believe that the heroin on the streets may be laced with a powerful painkiller called fentanyl, which is typically prescribed to terminally ill cancer patients. There has been a surge in drug overdoses and overdose deaths in the region in recent months, officials say.

“The posture that we’re taking right now is that we have to save lives,” Hayden said. “We care about every person in this city that’s got a drug problem and we’re not in an arrest-mode. We’re not looking to arrest people. We’re looking to save lives. We will arrest people to save their lives but our focus now is help. We want to help you.”

Hayden said he spoke with the president of the Brockton patrolmen’s union Monday and both agreed that officers should be equipped with the drug Narcan, a brand name of the drug naloxone, which reverses the effects of a heroin overdose.

Hayden said the training would begin in the next two or three days and that all Brockton police officers will carry and administer Narcan soon.

“The police usually get there before anybody else. So once they’re trained in how to use it, I think it will make an important contribution to someone staying alive,” Hayden said.

The Brockton Fire Department is intending to equip its trucks with Narcan kits by the end of the week, Brockton Fire Chief Richard Francis said.

Hayden said Narcan is just one measure being taken to combat the bad batch of heroin.

He said police would be posting fliers in shelters and other places throughout the city on red paper that warns people of the potentially deadly drug on the streets. He also said they are working to set up a hot line for people to call for help.

“It’s a tough problem because it’s region-wide,” Hayden said. “We’ve stepped up patrols. The narcotics division has been more active than they have been in the past.”

Hayden said he reached out to Bridgewater Police Chief Christopher Delmonte on Monday to talk about involving Brockton’s surrounding towns in discussions on what can be done.

“It’s a good idea. It could be a valuable resource,” Delmonte said. “We know that there are a lot of police professionals in the region with years of experience, so hopefully we can get together and discuss if there’s any new strategies or new policies that need to be put in place.

Page 2 of 2 - “We know we have a problem and we’re trying to find out how to either solve the problem or at least mitigate it,” Delmonte said.